Recently, the moral character of teaching and the moral aspects of education have gained increasing attention. In the discussion of the pedagogical task of the school, considerable importance is attached to the specific role of the teacher and the creation of a moral climate in the school as community. The teacher is expected to fulfil an exemplary function and represent specific values. In our research program that is being carried out in the Netherlands, the main questions concern teacher's attitudes and competencies and the implications for teacher education, but we also pay attention to the teacher-student, teacher-parent and teacher-school leader relationships. In our three presentations we will discuss the main results of three research projects and especially their importance for the contents and impact of teacher education programs for secondary education. Each project investigates different aspects of teacher's pedagogical competence. The three projects that will be presented by the coordinators of the research program are: C. Klaassen: Pedagogical relevant values of secondary school teachers; E. Roede & M. Derriks: Stimulating self-determination in the field of sex education in secondary education; W. Veugelers & E. de Kat: The pedagogical assignment in a constructivist learning environment. In our presentations we will discuss the main results of these projects and especially their implications for teacher professionality and teacher education programs. PROPOSAL FOR REVIEWING PROCESS Recently teacher education programs are changing in the sense that more attention is paid to the significance of values and norms and the specific role of the teacher as a pedagogical role model. Pedagogical thoughtfulness is an important characteristic of teacher professionalism and of teacher education programs. In the past four years a Dutch research alliance (consisting of a teacher education institute and two educational research institutes) have carried out twenty research projects in the field of the pedagogical assignment of the school. Most of these projects concentrated on the crucial role of the teacher in stimulating norms and values in the students and in contributing to the school as a moral community. In our research projects attention is paid to concepts like school culture; social, cultural and political values and norms; the impact of religion; education for citizenship, and the field of the development of social, communicative and reflective competencies. In our research program that is being carried out in the Netherlands, the main questions concern teacher's attitudes and competencies and the implications for teacher education, but we also pay attention to the teacher-student, teacher-parent and teacher-school leader relationships. In our presentations we will discuss the main results of three research projects and especially their importance for the pedagogical role of the teacher and teacher development and education.